. >> reporter: we just heard from president obama. he released a statement that says, arlen specter was always a fighter stamping out corruption as a prosecutor in philadelphia to three decades of service in the senate. he was fiercely independent. never putting partying party or ideology ahead of who was made to serve. he served witness integrity for three decades. laura and i appreciate his contributions to america and grateful for many years of public service. we send our condolences to his wife, joan and the specter family. they tell us the long time senator died at 1139 this morning from complications of non-hodgkin's limb foam 35. service will be in pennsylvania. he served as a democrat and then a republican and then a democrat in the united states senate. was part of 13 supreme court confirmation hearings. he crossed party lines during the robert bork hearing voting against him which was seen as an important factor in that failed nomination. >> for me it was a very hard decision to disagree with my colleagues on the republican